Sunday, January 28, 2007
Puzzle heard on Click and Clack's Car Talk just now.
Three guys* decide to fight a duel.**
Mr White is to shoot first, and has a 1/3 chance of killing - he's a bad shot.
Mr. Brown is next, and has a 2/3 chance.
Mr. Black fires last, and never misses.
They fire in turn, the firing continues until 2 are dead.
The puzzle is, who*** should Mr. White shoot at?
My answer below, scroll down.
* It's usually guys. Woman are less likely to duel with guns - they use words.
**(is it still a duel if there are three instead of two? Is the problem one duel between three, or a series of duels between two?)
*** I'm with Willian Safire, 1972 column, on this, that "whom" is dead except after a preposition. I've ended the sentence with a preposition - these things happen.
Three guys* decide to fight a duel.**
Mr White is to shoot first, and has a 1/3 chance of killing - he's a bad shot.
Mr. Brown is next, and has a 2/3 chance.
Mr. Black fires last, and never misses.
They fire in turn, the firing continues until 2 are dead.
The puzzle is, who*** should Mr. White shoot at?
My answer below, scroll down.
* It's usually guys. Woman are less likely to duel with guns - they use words.
**(is it still a duel if there are three instead of two? Is the problem one duel between three, or a series of duels between two?)
*** I'm with Willian Safire, 1972 column, on this, that "whom" is dead except after a preposition. I've ended the sentence with a preposition - these things happen.
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